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Awol Erizku Ethiopian-American, 1988
SIG SAUER (TESTED FOR EVERYTHING, GUARANTEED FOR ANYTHING), 2024
UV Inkjet, spray paint and acrylic on canvas
45.7 x 45.7 cm. (18 x 18 in.)
Copyright The Artist
Further images
In this series of ten paintings, Kimber I (What All Guns Should Be), Savage Arms I, Browning, SIG SAUER (TESTED FOR EVERYTHING, GUARANTEED FOR ANYTHING), SMITH & WESSON I, WINCHESTER...
In this series of ten paintings, Kimber I (What All Guns Should Be), Savage Arms I, Browning, SIG SAUER (TESTED FOR EVERYTHING, GUARANTEED FOR ANYTHING), SMITH & WESSON I, WINCHESTER (THE RANGE HAS A NEW RANGER), TAURUS I, GLOCK (Perfection) I, Kimber II (What All Guns Should Be), and SMITH & WESSON (This is Not a Fire Drill. I Got Fire on Me), Erizku overlays logos of globally recognised firearm manufacturers with expressive, gestural strokes. The logos of companies – the American Savage Arms, Kimber Manufacturing, Browning Arms Company, Smith and Wesson Brands, and Winchester Repeating Arms Company, as well as the German SIG Sauer, Italian Benelli Armi S.P.A., and Brazilian Taurus Armas S.A. – are combined with vibrant graffiti-style markings and colours that disrupt the logos’ familiar forms. This interplay between the rigidity of corporate branding and the loose, spontaneous ‘tags’ crafted by Erizku underscores the tension between depersonalised commerce and human expression.
By juxtaposing the precision of machine-made logos with raw, hand-drawn elements, Erizku questions the role of these symbols in our collective consciousness. Each piece acts as both a recognisable emblem and an act of resistance, challenging viewers to examine how these brands shape ideas about identity, power, and consumer culture, while highlighting the depersonalised violence embedded within these symbols. Through this series, Erizku probes the viewer to reconsider the cultural resonance of these logos, contrasting the corporate veneer with individual acts of rebellion.
By juxtaposing the precision of machine-made logos with raw, hand-drawn elements, Erizku questions the role of these symbols in our collective consciousness. Each piece acts as both a recognisable emblem and an act of resistance, challenging viewers to examine how these brands shape ideas about identity, power, and consumer culture, while highlighting the depersonalised violence embedded within these symbols. Through this series, Erizku probes the viewer to reconsider the cultural resonance of these logos, contrasting the corporate veneer with individual acts of rebellion.